Work to start on upgrading US base in Japan despite fierce opposition

The Japanese government is bringing forward work on the controversial replacement facility for the troops and aircraft currently stationed at the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, ostensibly to demonstrate its commitment to closing the base within five years.

It has also been pointed out, however, that construction of two new runways and associated infrastructure in the autumn will have started before the elections for governor of the prefecture, where the presence of tens of thousands of US military personnel is always an issue with voters.

Work to dramatically expand the capabilities of Camp Schwab, on the northeast coast of Okinawa, was scheduled to begin early in 2015, but sources cited by the Yomiuri newspaper said that had been advanced to the autumn.

The incumbent governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, has demanded that Tokyo shut down Futenma Air Station - which is in the heart of the town of Ginowan - within five years.

There is fierce opposition among local residents to the aircraft and troops being redeployed to the more remote Camp Schwab, while environmental groups are warning that constructing new runways over a coral reef and the feeding grounds of endangered dugongs will cause irreparable harm to local flora and fauna.

Ideally, local residents would like to see the functions of Futenma moved outside the prefecture entirely. The governments of Japan and the US have examined other potential sites, and several thousand of the troops presently stationed at Futenma will be relocated to Guam, but the decision has been taken to retain the bulk of the forces in Okinawa.

Analysts believe Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taking advantage of his soaring popularity among the electorate to push through a project that was originally agreed in 1996.